“I love you too, Mama.”
I stared at the box for what felt like an eternity before finally deciding to open it at the one place I’d always felt close to Dad.
The sun warmed my skin, and the birds fluttered around the fountain, dipping in to steal a drink of water every now and again. More flowers had begun to bloom, making the South Garden look and smell like a tropical paradise. This was my home.
“I miss you, Dad. I wish you were here. You’d like Sutton. He is an amazing king and I know he’ll be the perfect husband… and someday father to your grandchildren. The last few months have been a whirlwind… but in the most fantastic way. I have so many things I want to ask you, so much I don’t understand. I know I may never get the answers I need, but I also know that no matter what, you were a good man. I saw it in the way you treated everyone you met. I heard it in the way people spoke to you with such respect and admiration. I felt it in the way that you loved me and Mama. You were nothing like Jonathon or Keaton. You were a good man, and that’s exactly how I’ll always remember you.” I closed my eyes and blinked away my tears. “I love you.”
I pulled the red ribbon loose and placed it on the bench where I sat. My heart pounded against my ribs as I pulled back the lid and looked inside. I knew that no matter what was in here, I was no longer leaving Torryn. My place was here, by Sutton’s side. I supposed it always had been. Maybe fate, maybe destiny, maybe God Himself, but something brought me here—brought me to him.
I don’t know what I expected, an envelope full of cash, a check, a key to a safety deposit box… but the only thing inside was a letter. Who got letters for their inheritance?
Apparently, I did.
I unfolded the paper and heard Dad’s voice. The deep, hoarse timbre transported me back to late night bedtime stories as he tucked me in. I wished that was what this was—a simple bedtime story with no chance at being the truth. Because with every word I read, I felt my heart splinter into pieces and fall to the ground.
Katie,
Happy 25th birthday, sweet girl. I know you probably have so many questions—questions I pray this letter will answer for you.
First of all, I want you to know that I love you with all my heart and everything I’ve done has been for you.
Next, I want you to know that your mama knew nothing of any of this. I’ve kept this secret for you, only you. You choose what to do with it.
Last, if this truth brings you pain or uncertainty, please forgive me. Know that I am only telling you these things because I love you and want to give you the world. I guess in a way, I am.
Five years ago, I had to tear down the old barn. I’m sure you remember that day. It was the day everything changed.
I found a journal buried deep beneath the ground in a steel box. Hundreds of years ago, there was a devastating war in Torryn. You learned about this war in history class—we all did—but the truth is so very different from the story we were told. A group of men came from England and surrounded the island with ships, making it impossible for anyone to leave. There was a different king at that time, a king who wasn’t a Thorne.
These English soldiers and their leader killed most of the population and made servants of the rest. They put the king’s head on a block and used him as an example to exert their new authority. This is the part of Torryn’s history they didn’t teach you in school, mostly because no one really knows what truly went on during that battle. The Thorne king was never defending this land. He was stealing it.
They killed the original king, but the queen escaped, not knowing until months later that she was pregnant. She fled to Italy and lived in poverty and hid in fear. She never told anyone who she was in order to protect her child, the true heir to the Torryn throne.
Many years later, after she died, her grandchildren came to this country to start a new life. By then, the Thorne family had turned Torryn into a growing and prosperous nation. When her grandchildren approached the king of Torryn with their grandmother’s journal and the truth, he offered them more land and wealth than they’d ever known. Coming from a life of poverty, they took the deal, buried the journal, and lived as though nothing ever happened. They never told a soul.
Until now.
I found the journal, Katie. I know the truth.
The queen who escaped the massacre—her name was Katarina Bellizzi, and you are her heir.
There’s an army of people willing to go to war for you, even though they don’t know the full reason why yet. I only told them the truth about the battle. I never told anyone about the queen or her journal. I’ve given a man by the name of Jonathon Cirillo enough money to buy the farm so that you and your mother will have a safe place to stay until you receive this letter.
Whatever you do, stay away from Thornebridge Castle until you make your choice. Queen Amelia knows the truth. She has the journal. I brought it to the castle on an impulse the day I found it, thinking—well, I honestly don’t know what I was thinking. She promised to show it to the king, promised they would make amends, but I know she never did. I’m so sorry. It was our only proof, and I no longer know where it is.
If you’re wondering why I waited, why I didn’t take the throne for myself, it’s because I’m not a king. I’m just a humble farmer willing to do anything for his family. It is my heart to serve Torryn, not for Torryn to serve me. You… you were born with the heart of a queen. You are strong and loving and loyal to a fault. You will do great things.
Take the throne, Katie. It belongs to you.
I love you. Always.
Dad
I read the letter four times to be sure I hadn’t misunderstood. I stared at it until the ink blotted and blurred. I could hardly feel my breath leaving my lungs. My mouth went dry, and my stomach turned. I thought back to the wooden ship in the Collection Room and the story Sutton told about his ancestors. So much history, and none of it was real.
Take the throne, Katie. It belongs to you.
Sutton had been through so much, and I wasn’t going to be the one to tell him that his entire life was a lie. I refused to punish the man I loved for the sins of his ancestors—sins he knew nothing about. I folded the letter and crammed it in my pocket. Sutton made me a queen long before this letter ever did. I didn’t need to steal his crown. He handed it to me… right along with his heart.
Thirty minutes later, I stood in the East Wing with my palm against the section of wall where the library door used to be. An electric pulse vibrated against my skin. I almost heard the secrets calling out from behind the smooth sheetrock.
Sutton’s mother walked up behind me. “Are you lost?” she asked in the condescending tone I hope never to perfect as queen.
I angled my body and looked her in the eye. “I know the truth. I know what’s behind this wall. I know the secret, and I know why you kept it locked away.”
“Katarina—”
I cut her off, holding up my hand. “Stop. I’m not going to tell anyone. I get it—the chip on your shoulder, the way you treat my mother and me. You wanted to protect your king.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “And I’m going to protect mine. Sutton will never know. No one will.” Then I turned and walked away, leaving her mouth gaping.
Now…